Raikkonen denies that FP1 crash due to fading motivation

Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen has denied that his motivation is fading fast as he sees out his last few races with his Enstone based team.

The laconic Finn is returning to the team Ferrari next year, and on Friday in Korea he made a very rare mistake and crashed heavily in the last moments of FP1.

In fact, it was Raikkonen’s first significant incident since his return to Formula 1: “It must have been about 2008,” the 33-year-old is quoted by Speed Week.

He is out of the running for this year’s World Championship, and reportedly racing without pay for the time being.

Is Raikkonen’s motivation on the wane?

“For me, nothing changes,” he insisted. “The title is gone but I still fight for wins and podiums. The fact that I have signed for another team changes nothing, as I’m not interested in just rolling around.”

When asked about his back injury, Raikkonen said it feels “OK” in Korea, even though he admitted he is deliberately dodging some of the harshest kerbs. (GMM)